The fish farming industry has grown enormously both in Norway and world-wild during the recent years, especially Salmon. Much of the fish are sold to the consumer as gutted, whole fish, but significant amounts are sold as fillets. Only 50-70% of the salmon is fillets, whereas the rest is sold as low-valued products such as fish meal and fish ensilage.
Through enzymatic treatment the fish meat and also the fish frames can be separated into an aqueous fraction rich in proteins, called fish protein hydrolysate (FPH). The enzymatic hydrolysing process is highly controllable, and the products are reproducible and well defined.
Surprisingly, the present inventors have shown that the fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) in accordance with the invention has several beneficial biological effects, and that such a material can be used as a pharmaceutical or nutritional material.
We have shown that the FPH lowers the concentration of plasma cholesterol and homocysteine, and also lowers the concentration of hepatic triacylglycerols. Based on these findings, it is anticipated that the FPH will have a preventive and/or therapeutic effect on stenosis, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, thrombosis, myocardial infarction, stroke and fatty liver. Treatment with a fish protein material represents a new way to treat these diseases.
The FPH is especially useful as a functional protein in food products, particularly when used as a substitute for natural plasma in animal feeds and in pet foods. When used in pet foods, additional ingredients may be added to the product such as fats, sugars, salt, flavourings, minerals, etc. The product may then be formed into chunks resembling natural meat chunks in appearance and texture. The product of the invention has the further advantages that this is readily formulated to contain necessary nutrients, is easily digested by the animals and is palatable to the animals.